That Kid
by Tomo Trillions
Summary: Just a random Piccolo reflecting on how Gohan has changed him...no warnings on this little baby!


"That kid." That kid's a pain in the neck, an annoying little twerp, a stupid, weak, dumb, half-human excuse for a fighter.  
  
  
That kid's the best person I've ever met.  
  
  
That kid....  
  
  
He made me think about love when all I wanted was hate. Funny, huh? A kid, doing that to me. Me! Ma Jr., King of Demons, killer of heroes, Lord over Darkness, future ruler of the world.  
  
  
Oh well.  
  
  
It used to bother me, having a weakness in my otherwise-perfect mental armor. It doesn't anymore, and that says a lot about what he's done to me. After all, I think a simple weakness is better than not being able to watch him pull himself up, utter determination in his eyes, and leap at me after ten straight hours of training.  
  
  
Oh yes, it's worth it.  
  
  
I'm sitting here, looking over the vast wilderness that I call my home, glaring at any creature that dare approach me. I'm king here, no animal disputes it, none at all. I wonder what he's doing- his world is so utterly different from mine. How can he fascinate me so, this boy who's merely years younger than me but seems so much older, so much stronger than a mere child....?  
  
  
That kid's probably sitting docile at his desk, cramming books into his brain. That idiot mother of his.... He could kill her in a second.... But he won't. I don't understand it, she makes him work and work and yet he loves her! With a flick of his wrist her existance would be null and void- but he would never do it. He's my polar opposite in every way, his mind, his heart, his face and sweetly childish looks. So why'd I die for him?  
  
  
He's just....  
  
  
.....so......  
  
  
Feh. Sentimental nonsense.  
  
  
I open my eyes and stare up at the clouds. Not many people realize it, but I like clouds. A lot. When you have nothing to do but meditate alone in the wilderness, and only one person visits you for sparring every few days, you tend to watch the skies quite a bit. I know all the star charts by heart, and one area out of all the massive, vast regions of space especially.  
  
  
The sky is very blue, but my keen eyes can pick out the stars beyond the atmosphere. I search for one.... Or rather, the lack of one.  
  
  
Shrouded in light cyan, there's one blank place I always look to. That's where Namekusei was. That's where I was born, in a way. I prefer to think that, anyway. Being puked up as a little monkey blasts your father's guts out is not something I like to think about.  
  
  
I'm not proud of my heritage anymore. At one point I called myself a king. Now I'm content to be a second rate defender of this mudball.  
  
  
I recall a few things that happened on that planet. That kid got so strong there... Son turned into a Super Monkey-boy, Kururin was toasted, and Dende was found. That's the whole Freezer fight in a nutshell, right there. But oh, I was scared when I was wished back...yes, scared, me. The thought that I might be too late to rescue Gohan from whatever that monster had in store for him was so utterly terrifying, so horribly gut-wrenchingly frightening, I just-  
  
  
And seeing him safe, hearing him cry "Pikoro-san!" as I appeared was worth more than anything I've ever heard.  
  
  
Now the sun is going down. That's another thing that facinates me, by the way. Of course you've never had the opportunity to see a sunset through my eyes, but let me tell you something- Words have no meaning. Namekusei-jin have excellent senses, and that's something the saiya-jin will never beat us at.  
  
  
Heh. Anyway.  
  
  
That kid has a lot of nerve. He gets away with tons of things that other people would die for. Of course, that's just because he's....him.  
  
  
For example, when he tries to sneak up on me, instead of killing him right off, I let him get close enough that he thinks he's got me, and then catch him by the collar as he jumps at me. I don't know why he tries to scare me like that, he's never sucessful, but he keeps trying anyway.  
  
  
He's like that, you know. That kid never gives up. No matter what.  
  
  
Sometimes I feel bad about him, though. When I look back on all that I've put him through, I wonder how he can stand me. I ripped his childhood away with one clawed swipe, yet despite that he still adores me. It's really pretty amazing when you think about it. That kid...  
  
  
That kid brings out the absolute best in me. It isn't much, but he does. I respect him and fear him at the same time... He's stronger than all of us, inside. He always will be. Knowing that I helped shape him as a warrior and a person makes me feel like nothing else ever has, or ever will.  
  
  
Because that kid....  
  
  
.....that little, stupid kid......  
  
  
......That annoying.....  
  
  
......strong......  
  
  
.......cute......  
  
  
......smart little kid.....  
  
  
....Gohan.  
  
  
Gohan changed me like nothing else ever could, and for that, I love him.  
  
  
I love him. 


End file.
